Goodbye
by Fullmetal Pipsqueek
Summary: Karin must say goodbye to Chad. TISSUE WARNING!


**Tissue warning! This story is a bit sad. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm going to have to say a 6.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I do own this fic, though, and if I catch you copying it, I'll have to kill you. If you want to post it again somewhere, you need permission.**

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"So, that's it?" Karin looked at her father with a bit of hope still in her eyes, and it hurt him so much to take even that little bit from his not-so-little girl.

"Mm-hmm. As soon as the life support if off, he'll die. I have him on a sedative, so any pain that might be there, he can't feel. He can still hear you, but he can't respond," Isshin paused. "Do you want to say goodbye?" That's what hurt him the most. Having to remind his daughter that she'll have to let go sometime.

Karin looked down at Chad, then back to her father and nodded. "But I want everyone else to go first. I have to get out of this room." Karin let her fingers slip off of Chad's bronzed hand, and walked out of the room, briskly.

Isshin followed her out, after saying a small goodbye first. "Sado, I really don't know you that well," Isshin began. "But you've been really good to Karin, and Ichigo, and everyone. I'm glad that they had a chance to know you. I'm sure that if that hollow hadn't attacked, you'd probably be my son-in-law in a few years." Isshin paused again, and put his hand on the door handle. "I really don't know you that well, but I'm gonna miss you hanging around the house."

Isshin walked out of the room, and quietly shut the door.

Though Chad really couldn't respond, he inwardly thanked the man for his words, and totally hated himself for not noticing that the hollow had been present. He'd been just enjoying himself with Karin at the park, sitting in that big oak tree in the center.

Then that hollow literally popped out of the sky, and Chad shoved Karin out of the tree and out of the way, and hadn't had time to defend himself. The hollow had driven its claw right through his chest, going through his back, and breaking his spine in three places. It had been a miracle he was still breathing.

Now, he was in the intensive care unit in the Karakura hospital, and he could barely believe that his friends were all forced to say goodbye to him.

Chad heard the door open, then close.

"Hey." It was Ichigo. "God, you look weird. All hooked up to that crap." Ichigo chuckled. Typical. "Damn, I wish I didn't have to do this." Chad could hear him pull up a chair, and flop down in it. "I'm not sure what to say, actually. For once I can't come up with some stupid comeback or insult." Ichigo's voice cracked, but he quickly hid it. "I know I can't say goodbye, and I really don't think anyone can. I know I'll probably see you again sometime. I really hope you're not hollow-fied. I hope you're in one of the better parts of Soul Society. I guess they really don't have much of a choice, though, seeing as you're one of the ryouka who helped save their sorry asses. If you run into Kenpachi, tell him I still want to fight him. And if you run into Byakuya, call him by his first name for me." Ah, so Ichigo did know that his lack of respect bothered Byakuya.

Ichigo walked out of the door, not even bothering to shut it because Orihime had been waiting for her turn. Her eyes were all watered down, but you could tell she was doing her best to hold it all back. She knew damn well that Chad didn't want any of his friends to be in pain of any kind.

"Hi, Chad!" Orihime's voice was just as cheerful as it always is. What a trooper. "If I wasn't afraid to, I'd be hugging you right now, but I'm afraid I might accidently unplug something." She sat down on the chair, and scooted it about two feet back. "This makes me want a giant cup of black coffe with sugar. It's so bittersweet. I know that you're going to a way better place, but I really don't want you to leave, and I really can't control that. I guess this is goodbye—wait! Nope, it's not. I'm going to see you again eventually!" Orihime walked out the door, and Chad heard her burst into tears right outside the door.

Uryu walked in, next, almost as silently as Death himself. He took a seat on the chair, and crossed his legs. "I'm really not sure how to do this, so I'll make it quick. I've enjoyed having you as a friend, and I know everyone else has, and I'm sad to see you go. But I'm probably going to see you again sometime in the future, so goodbye for now." Uryu's was short and sweet. He got up and left the room, his quick steps just as silent as when he walked in.

Just as quickly as Uryu shut the door, it opened again, and was almost slammed shut. It's Karin, Chad thought.

"I don't really know where to begin. I do want to say that I'm pissed at you right now for dying on me, and for pushing me out of the way when I could've helped you. But I'll get over it once this whole thing sinks in in a few months." Karin walked across the room, and sat on the foot of his bed. "God, I love you. I know that I've been a real bitch to you in the past, and I regret every minute of it. But I'm glad we've been friends for the past five years. I'm happy that the stupid mistletoe forced us to kiss eachother last year." Karin rested her hand on his leg. "And I'm tickled pink that I'm able to run was faster than you." Karin touched the dragon pendant Yuzu had gotten her for her graduation present. She'd gotten Yuzu the pair of white-gold hoop earrings that she'd been eying for about nine months. "I hate goodbyes. I really don't think I'm even going to say one. I might see you again, hopefully sooner than my death. Rukia said that they might accept me in Squad Eleven."

Karin thought about the possibility of becoming a soul reaper, then chuckled to herself.

"Unfortunately, I'm not too sure I have the patience to be a soul reaper. In any case, I love you to death, though not in the literal sense, and I hope you're happy in Soul Society. Yuzu said to tell you that she'll miss you. You're her favourite guinea pig when it came to anything with tomatoes. Well, I guess this is it." Karin walked out the door, and returned a few seconds later with her father.

Tears slid down Kairn's face as she grabbed Chad's hand. She wanted to be there with him for his final moments. Isshin pressed the power switch, and tears came to his own eyes as everything that beeped slowly got really quiet. He didn't let the tears drop until Karin had left the room five minutes later.

"I've decided to take back what I said, Sado." Isshin paused. "Not about missing you, but about the goodbye. I can't say goodbye, because I'm probably going to see you again someday. Then we can all be a family, and I give you permission to marry my daughter when the chance arrives." Isshin walked toward the door, and shut off the lights.

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**Again, I cried when I wrote this. Don't get me wrong, I had fun writing it. I have fun writing anything, pretty much. But I had more fun with the few funny parts, if you dig hard enough to find them. Mostly Uryu being such a fem he sits with his legs crossed.**

**For some odd reason, I can always picture something like this happening, so I had to write it.**

**Shorty**


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